FENG SHUI - FACT OR FICTION?
Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Choose your words, for they become actions. Understand your actions, for they become habits. Study your habits, for they become your character. Develop your character, for it becomes your destiny. ~ Tryon Edwards
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I am going to show this e-mail I received from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes virtually in its entirety because it make so much sense. If this is a violation of fair use, I'm sure my fellow Chicago area native Jere Johnson, who wrote it, will let me know and I will cease and desist. Nice job, Jere.
I often wonder what the media vigilantes think the effect on the young people when they hear the drumbeat for McGwire to step forward and apologize "because we are such a forgiving country" and then when he does, the collective chorus from the ink-stained wretches is "sorry, Mark. Not good enough". After all, it's all about protecting the young people, right?
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Where do we go from here?
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
READY:
“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
-Romans 3:23
SET:
Leach, Levitt, Mangino…Arenas, McGuire, Woods...These are just a few of the last names that have been in the sports pages recently for unbecoming conduct. Coaches who have reportedly lost their control both verbally and physically, and players who have reportedly lost their judgment, integrity and character. All of these men have fallen short of the standards set by their schools and teams and short of the vows by which they agreed they would live and coach.
These sports issues all fall under what I call the “323 Syndrome,” or, better stated, Romans 3:23: “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” That includes not only those mentioned above, but you and me, too. Before we throw verbal attacks and insults at these guys and their situations, we need to stop and take a good, hard look in the mirror.
Yes, all of these men, if the reports are accurate, did wrongful things. They hurt their sports, teams, careers and families. But where do they go from here? As onlookers, we can continue to berate and belittle these men, believing they will never change, but that doesn’t change the fact that God’s grace extends to them as well as it extends to you and me. In light of the fact that we are all sinners who have fallen short of God’s standard, I would hope that we would view these men and ourselves through the eyes of the Lord and see His love for us all. Then, instead of judging and condemning, we can pray for them—for their repentance, their restoration and their return to what God has gifted them each uniquely to do.
So, in the world of sports, where do we go from here? One suggestion: to our knees. Let’s pray to our God who continues to hate sin but love us sinners and who longs to restore, rebuild and re-equip our hearts every day.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jere Johnson is a FCA staff member from Chicago area and the author of the devotion book series One Day Better available at fcagear.com. If you would like to contact Jere, please e-mail him at jerejohnson@fca.org.
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File this one under "sometimes the narrative does not jive with the facts"
from Carpe Diem blog:
Interesting Fact of the Day
"Since 1933, Republicans had a more positive record on civil rights in Congress than the Democrats. In the twenty-six major civil rights votes since 1933, a majority of Democrats opposed civil rights legislation in over 80 percent of the votes. By contrast, the Republican majority favored civil rights in over 96 percent of the votes."
Source: Dirksen Congressional Center
HT: Jarod Wachtel
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